Reading Comprehension

Why Nike Is Down and Adidas Is Up

John Kell

Jun 12, 2017

The Germans are sports starstheyre the reigning World Cup champions, they dominated the most recent
Olympics, and lately theyve been running laps around the sportswear competition too.

Retro activewear is back in fashion, and thats good news for Germanys shoe giants Adidas and Puma. Sales
of Adidass classic Superstar rose sixfold in 2016making it the top-selling active shoe in the U.S., a
distinction that had been held by a product from Nike (which still sells more shoes overall) for over a decade.
To boot: Adidass Stan Smith sales increased fivefold, and Pumas Clyde and Suede sneaks are booming.

The fashion cycle we are in, which is casual and retro, plays to their sweet spot, says Matt Powell, NPD
Groups sports industry analyst.

For a full year, Adidass North America sales growth outpaced its competitors Nike (NKE, +1.86%) and Under
Armour (UAA, -0.88%). During the latest quarter, Adidass sales soared 31% to $1.1 billion, and its CEO,
Kasper Rorsted, promises growth will outstrip the rest of the U.S. market again in 2017. Puma, for its part, has
posted a double-digit sales increase in the Americas region for three consecutive quarters.

North Americas Big Three arent at the top of their game: Nike is lamenting hefty discounts by retailers,
Under Armour was hurt by Sports Authoritys bankruptcy, and Lululemon Athleticas store traffic has dipped.
But Germanys winning streak may not last: The most recent numbers suggest that sales have cooled for both
Adidass Superstar and Stan Smith. In both fashion and sports, theres always next season.

Source: http://fortune.com

B) Match the following words (1-5) taken from the text with their definitions (a-e)

1- soar a- if the economy, a business, does this action, it grows

less fast than before
2- increase b- to move or develop faster than someone or something
else
3- outstrip c- a person, shop, or business that sells goods to the
public
4- fivefold d- to move upwards
5- cool e- a rise in the amount or size of something
6- retailers f- to go down to a lower level
7- quarter g- a short period of good or bad luck
8- outpace h- five times as big or as much
9- streak i- to rise very quickly to a high level
10- dip j- to be or become greater in amount, degree, or success
than something or someone
11- rose (past form of rise) k- one of four periods of time into which a year is divided
for financial calculations, such as for profits or taxes